Fire-escape



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

LSTEVER. j FIRE ESGAP'E. j No. 294,522. 2 PatentedMar. 4,'1884.

4n mimuwum it llllllll llllll m n All 311mm a WITNESSES I Afforney I NIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEREMIAH STEVER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO TIzIE BRIDGEPORT AUTOMATIC SAFETY LADDER AND HARDWARE COMPANY,'OF SAME PLACE.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION-forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,522, dated March 4, 1884.

Application filed February 24, 1883. (No mmleli) f0 aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH STEVER, of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertainsto make and use the same. 4

My invention relates to an improvement in fireescapes, the object being to provide a weighted flexible ladder, and means for aut0- matically opening and closing a door inclosing the fire-escape.

WVith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a portion of a building to which myimprovement is applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, in vertical section, illustrating the drum, ladder, and the door in its closed position.- Fig. 31s a similar view, showing the door in its open position. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the door. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the wall of the building, showing the arrangement of the different parts of the fire-escape.

A represents a drum mountedin bracket bearings B, situated at the top of the building, and secured to the inside of the wall thereof.

C is a flexible ladder, one end of which is attached to the drum, while its outer or free end has a rolling weight attached thereto by a shaft, D, which projects outwardly from the opposite ends of the roller, thereby constituting the. arms a a.

E represents a swinging door, it being pivoted at its lower corners, e e, to the door-frame F. The door and frame are preferably made of metal. On the inside of the door, at its upper end and near its edges, are secured or formed the jaws G G. When the ladder is unwound, the door will be'in the position illustrated in Fig. 3, and constitutes a platform. When the ladder is wound upon the drum, the

arms a a of the roller engage the jaws G G, and thus the door is raised to its vertical and 5c closed position, and serves to conceal the ladder and its weight from view and protect the apparatus from the Weather, as represented in Fig. 2. The inside of the door is provided with a catch, 9, with which engages the jaw h down through the several stories of the building, whereby the ladder may be quickly released by a person on any 'floor of the house.

Rubber disks J are attached to the cord or rod at points beneath the floors, and arrangecl so as to close the openings in the floors when the apparatus is not in use, and hence deaden the sound between the floors or rooms.

The drum-shaft K supports a frictiomdisk, L, located in close proximity to the head of the drum. The drum-shaft is screw-threaded, and carries a nut, M, and a spiral spring, N, the latter being interposed between the friction disk and-nut. Arod or arm, 0, engages in the slot 0 in the friction-disk, and prevents the latter from revolving with the drum-shaft. The nut Mis provided with an arm, m, which engages with the rod 0, and is thus retained against rotary movement, but is caused to be fed to and fro on the drum-shaft. When the ladder is released, the nut M is fed against the spiral spring, which latter in turn forces the friction-disk against the drum, checking its velocity, and thereby checking the descent of the ladder. The checking mechanism is thus automati c in its operati0n,and is a safeguard against breakage due to sudden strains or shocks.-

I make no claim to the checking mechanism in this patent, as it constitutes a portion of the subject-matter of another of my applications.

It is evident that many slight changes in the construction and relative arrangement of parts might be resorted to without departing 5 from the spirit of my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts shown and described. 1

I am aware that a fireeseape has been patented in which there is an outwardly-swing- I ing door, a trip-lever adapted to retain it in its locked position, and a spring interposed i between the triplevcr and the door for throw-J ing the door open, and hence I would have it i understood that I make no claim to such eonstruetion of parts. In the construction referred to, the spring is liable to become broken by reason of the striking of the door or the failure of the parts to work easily and smoothly, and in such case the escape would be rendered use- 1 less. In my improvement the spring is dis pensed with, an d the trip -1ever is so constructed and arranged that when it is actuated to unlock thedoor the latter is positively forced outward and opened, thus making the opera tion of the fire-escape certain and sure.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fire-escape, the combination, with an I outwardlyswinging door provided with a outwardly-swinging door and a flexible lad der adapted to engage the door and close it, of a triplever constructed to engage a catch on the door, and provided with an arm or projection that directly engages the door and forces it outwardly when unlocked,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this speci fication in the presenee of two subscribing witnesses.

JEREMIAH STEVER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE F. DOWNING, GEORGE Cook. 

